Preparing For 2019 - Elements To Consider Besides Just Touring

The idea of planning for the upcoming season is one that’s been talked about over and over again, and by now you’re probably well aware of all of the things you need to consider. From carefully crafting your schedule to ensuring you have places to stay, traversing the nation to play disc golf is no small task. However, there’s more to life on the road than just driving and competing.

Unless you’ve got a huge wad of cash in your bank account, there’s a good chance that you’ll need to think about supplementing your income while on the road. While it’s a nice idea to think that you can maintain your cash flow by winning tournaments, that kind of pressure will eventually burn you out. Instead of relying on a solid performance weekend in and weekend out, what else can you do?

Teaching Disc Golf

If you’re on tour then we can assume that you’re exceptionally skilled at the sport we all know and love, making you pretty darn qualified to teach others how to play. There’s still time left before the season really gets into high gear for you to be able to coordinate clinics and events that line up with your touring schedule, so consider if this may be the right move for you.

Not only does running clinics help to pay the bills, but it strengthens your relationships with players and clubs across the country. You’ll help to grow your personal brand and of course, spread the disc golf love even further than you thought possible. Given that there's not a tournament taking place all 52 weekends of the year, you'll likely be able to fit some teaching time in pretty easily.

Considering Merch

Nowadays we see tons of players opting to get custom discs, apparel, and accessories made with their name, face, or brand on them. While opinions can be somewhat polarized on this issue, there’s no denying that jumping onto the merch train does have its benefits. Think about the fact that you could be selling items online and making money while you’re on the course and see if it changes your mind.

However there are several major issues to consider when it comes to this type of situation, and while there’s still time to place an order for items before you hit the road, think about how you’ll replenish your stock and more specifically, where you’ll ship it to. The idea of carting around extra items isn’t always ideal either, especially if you have a smaller tour vehicle. Between online sales and setting up shop at events, you’ll probably do pretty well for yourself, but remember there’s the initial cost of ordering product before you start to see a return.

Creative Thinking

These are just two of the more popular ways that touring pros can make extra money while on the road during the 2019 season. While it’s obviously impossible to keep a part-time job if you’re on an extensive travel schedule, try considering some other more creative ways to keep the cash coming in while you play.

If you’ve been on tour before we’d love to hear from you - have you hosted clinics or tried selling merch? Did you have a lot of success or were the logistics of it too difficult to manage? Feel free to share with us in the comments below.